"Why didn't you use any of your skills?" Heinz asked as he handed Alex his Sabre.
"I am prohibited from using any of my skills for the next 40 days to better train my battle arts," Alex replied, telling the truth.
"How are you soo strong?" Heinz asked.
"Heinz, you don't ask such questions to anyone," Rurvan said, appearing next to Alex.
"Aeon, You did great and have passed the trial's first phase with flying colors," Rurvan said with a smile.
"The second and last phase of the trial will test your mental strength, so you should rest for some time to recover mentally," Rurvan said.
'I am mentally exhausted after using the Sabre intent, so I might as well log out and rest for a few hours.' Alex thought.
"Adalene, Take Aeon to one of the top floor rooms and ask the head chef to prepare his specialty for him and appoint a maid to take care of his needs," Rurvan said, looking toward the female who now had her leg healed.
"Follow me," Adalene said, and Alex followed behind her and left the room.
"Colonel, He is an anomaly," Nigel said the moment Alex left the room.
"He is more than an anomaly to be able to take care of three of us without using his skills and do it in the way he did."
"He made many wasted movements, and with his brute strength and speed, he could have defeated me much faster, but he didn't."
"He even let my golem prepare its final attack when he could have disrupted it and ended the battle," Heinz said coldly.
"He did make mistakes, but they were natural, and as for prolonging the battle with you, he did it intentionally, and he wasn't hiding it."
"It was like he was trying to test his limits by putting himself into tough situations," Rurvan said.
"Colonel, I don't know his motive for doing what he did, but I am certain he is no peak third Rank warrior," Nigel said.
"You two rest and recover, and I will update Major Telyssa about this situation," Rurvan said as he walked toward the door with a thoughtful look.
-------------------
"Sir Aeon, I will be present outside the room, so if You need anything, please let me know." A maid said and then left the room.
'I wonder what kind of test they will do, check if I am not a bad imposter trying to trick my way into the Thunder knights.' Alex thought as he checked the multiple food dishes.
Alex knew that his strength would raise red flags even after he faked being a peak third Rank warrior, and the Thunder knights would suspect him of being stronger and hiding his true strength.
Alex was prepared for the questioning, and after his performance in the trial, he would only get the famous amount of the Thunder Knights, which would help him achieve his goal.
'The food smells and looks good.' Alex thought as he started eating.
After finishing the food, Alex logged out, and in the real world, it was dinner time, so he ate dinner with his family and talked to his sister to check if there were any changes she felt before going to bed.
Alex spent the next eight hours sleeping, and while having breakfast with his family, he told them about his plans to spend more time in the game and only log out after every few days.
After coming back online, Alex asked the maid to tell Rurvan that he was ready to take the second phase of the trial.
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'She is at the peak of Sixth Rank and holds the Major General Rank only lower than the Order High Elders.' Alex thought, looking at the female elf smiling at him.
Alex was not surprised when Rurvan told him that someone of authority in the order wanted to ask him a few questions, but after he led him to the room where the trail would take place, he was surprised to see the elf lady.
"I believe Rurvan has told you I have a few questions I would like you to answer." The elf lady said.
"I heard you had a spectacular performance and bested three of the Lieutenant in a dominating way, and you also didn't use a single skill," Telyssa said with a kind smile.
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[Watcher Contract]
(Party A) Telyssa Rardinthril
(Party B) Aeon [Hidden One]
Condition: If (Party B) lied to (Party A) at any moment in the next ten minutes, this will be deemed a breach of contract.
Punishment: Death
Accept [YES / NO]
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'I was hoping they would not choose the Watcher Contract, but if she is not hell-bent on finding my secrets, I should be able to save my Silver Grade Wish,' Alex thought as he accepted the contract.
Alex had planned two ways to not reveal his identity or his motives for joining the Thunder Knights, with the first being getting help from Elder Darrien if the Order used methods like oaths or truth crystals.
The second method required Alex to waste his Silver Grade System Wish in the scenario that the Order made him accept a watcher contract.
Alex could use System Wish to avoid the punishment of the contract without letting the second party know about it, and even though using system wish was a big waste, it was the only option he had to avoid contract punishment.
"Aeon, What is your current Rank?" Lady Telyssa asked.
'I was hoping she wouldn't ask me this question in a different way.' Alex thought as he used the silver-grade wish for the already set use.
Alex could answer the question in a way that would not count as a lie by the system, but he knew that Telyssa would easily see through him and then things would only go in the wrong direction.
[System Notification]
[Player Hidden One is exempted from the Watcher Contract between him and Telyssa Rardinthril]
"I am at the peak of Third Rank," Alex replied, feeling the loss of his precious wish.
"What is your intention for joining the Thunder Knights Order?" Lady Telyssa asked with a smile.
"I am joining because I need status to achieve some goals, but those goals are in no way harmful to the Thunder Knight Order or the Human Continent," Alex replied truthfully.
Alex told the truth because he had no plan to spend time doing quests for the Order, like every Thunder knight did, to gain resources and teaching.
The Thunder Knight Order was similar to a mix of university and a mercenary organization but with very high standards.
"You are not joining the Order for our teaching and resources," Lady Telyssa asked with a surprised look.
"I am interested in the Order teaching and resources, but my main reason for joining the order is the status," Alex replied.
"You are an interesting one."
"I don't know what plans you have, but if you could abide by the rules of the Order and complete your duties as a member, then I welcome you as Thunder knight with open arms."
"But Let's first see how tough you are mentally." Lady Telyssa said as she walked toward the center of the room.
'I thought she would ask me more questions.' Alex thought as he silently followed Lady Telyssa, happy he wasn't asked any tricky questions.
Lady Telyssa took out a magic staff from her space ring and placed it in the dead center of the room, and instantly a vast amount of mana started to gather around her while a massive, intricate magic circle appeared on the ground.
"This room has an ancient array named the "True Inner Demon," an illusion array that puts an individual in deep slumber and shows him the realistic illusions of his worst fears." Lady Telyssa said as she removed her staff from the ground.
"There are safety measures placed to protect the individuals from experiencing any mental damage but its means that the illusions end when certain criteria are met."
"When you are mentally prepared to take the test, sit in the center of this magic circle, and you just need to endure your nightmares for one minute to pass the trial." Lady Telyssa said with a smile.
'Worst Nightmares.' Alex thought as he remembered some of his past life experiences.
'It's only one minute, and It's not like I have forgotten my nightmares.' Alex thought with a smirk as he walked toward the center.
"If you fail in this phase of the trial, then you will fail the trial, and you don't want that to happen." Lady Telyssa said, seeing Alex taking his seat on the ground.
"Kid, Don't disappoint me." Lady Telyssa said as she tapped her magic staff on the floor, making the magic circle release mystic gray energy, which slowly enveloped Alex.
Alex got comfortable in the position and closed his eyes, and a moment later, he felt calm as the foreign energy entered his body, and slowly his consciousness slipped to deep slumber.
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